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Why does a bit of ocean floor lie on top of Mt. Diablo? Why is Red Rock, that small, knobby island in San Francisco Bay, red? Why is Loma Prieta high? This book is for San Francisco Bay Area residents and visitors who want to explore the geologic world of this spectacular area, to learn about its shapes, colors, and rocky foundations. Doris Sloan illuminates the colorful geologic mosaic that surrounds San Francisco Bay and lucidly explains the complex and fascinating processes that have forged it over millions of years.

In a lively and engaging style, Sloan describes forces such as the movement of tectonic plates, erosion, the waves on the coast, and human activity. She provides background information on the processes, time frame, and rocks that are the key to understanding the Bay Area landscape and geologic history, then turns to distinct regions of the Bay Area and to San Francisco Bay itself.

* Suggests locales in parks and open space preserves to view Bay Area geology in action

SECTION I OVERVIEW AND SOME BASIC GEOLOGY TO SET THE STAGEINTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 THE SETTING AND THE PROCESSES THAT SHAPE IT Time: Human and GeologicGeological Processes: Shaping the LandscapeAt the Surface: Weathering and ErosionWhere Sea Meets LandThe Sand On (and Off) the BeachCHAPTER 2 THE PLATE TECTONIC FRAMEWORK The Dance of the PlatesCalifornia’s Dynamic PastThe Bay Area’s Network of FaultsSqueezing the Bay AreaThe Bay Area’s Complex StructureCHAPTER 3 THE REMARKABLE ROCKS OF THE BAY AREA The Foundation under our Feet: The ‘Basement’ Rocks The World-Famous Franciscan ComplexAssembling the FranciscanGreat Valley ComplexSalinian Complex: Visitor from Down SouthThe Younger Rocks: Emerging from the SeaTertiary Volcanoic RocksAt the Top of the Heap

SECTION II BAY AREA GEOLOGYCHAPTER 4 MARIN COUNTY - A DIVIDED LANDSCAPEThe San Andreas FaultWest of the San Andreas FaultSierran Rocks in the Bay Area?East of the San Andreas Fault The Franciscan ComplexThe Great Valley ComplexThe Younger RocksSome Special Places to Visit The Marin Headlands Ring Mountain: the Bay Area’s Unusual Metamorphic Rocks Mt. Tamalpais: Cross-Section through Subduction CHAPTER 5 SAN FRANCISCO - GEOLOGY BENEATH THE PAVEMENT The Streams and Lakes that Once WereThe City on the DunesIce-Age SandModern Sand along the ShoreUnder the City: The Rocky Foundation Alcatraz Terrane Marin Headlands Terrane San Bruno Mountain Terrane Melange ZonesOn Top of the Basement RocksCHAPTER 6 THE BAY AND THE ISLANDS The Estuary and its SurprisesWater that Flows ‘Upstream’Secrets of the SedimentsEarly History of the BayMarshes and Plains Around the BayIslands in the Bay: the Drowned LandscapeCHAPTER 7 THE PENINSULA: COAST, REDWOODS, AND BAY The Coastal Landscape The Land UpliftedDown to the SeaFaults That Carve Up the PeninsulaThe Basement RocksA Record of Past SeasThe Youngest Rocks of the PeninsulaCHAPTER 8 THE SOUTH BAY The Valley That Was: The Santa Clara ValleySouth Bay Faults and StructureThe South Bay’s Diverse RocksThe Basement RocksThe South Bay Tertiary Rocks: From Sea to LandVolcanic RocksSpecial Places to ExploreAlum Rock Park: The Bay Area’s Hot Spring Resort Almaden Quicksilver County ParkCHAPTER 9 THE EAST BAY A Young LandscapeThe Delta, a Subsided MarshCreeks that Go the Long Way RoundThe East Bay Fault SystemThe Hayward FaultRocks Old and YoungThe Mesozoic Subduction RecordFrom Sea to LandThe Livermore ValleySpecial Places to ExploreMount Diablo State ParkBlack Diamond Mines Regional PreserveThe East Bay HillsCHAPTER 10 THE NORTH BAY The Sonoma Coast: Lifted Up and Slumping DownFaults and Fault SlicesThe Hole in the HeadAssembling the North Bay The Basement RocksThe Salinian BlockAcross the FaultSidebar: Goat Rock State BeachAfter Subduction EndedThe North Bay’s Volcanic EruptionsRivers and BaySECTION III Credits Further Reading Glossary Index

Doris Sloan is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at the University of California, Berkeley.

“Accessible to readers at all levels of understanding . . . [Sloan’s] expertise, enthusiasm, and gifted storytelling translate these landscapes into a lucid text that helps us better understand the foundations of our Bay Area home.”—Bay Nature

“A great introduction to California geology and the most interesting place to start.”—Michael Raffety Placerville Mountain Democrat

“Sloan plumbs the depths of the bay and scales surrounding hillsides, all the time explaining how this geological puzzle was formed over millions of years. She points out the easily overlooked everyday scenes that are significant if the viewer looks a little closer. After reading her guide, a trip to the Bay will never be the same.”—Debbie Arrington Sacramento Bee

"You can't really know the place where you live until you know the shapes and origins of the land around you. To feel truly at home in the Bay Area, read Doris Sloan's intriguing stories of this region's spectacular, quirky landscapes."—Hal Gilliam, author of Weather of the San Francisco Bay Region

"This is a fascinating look at some of the world's most complex and engaging geology. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in an understanding of the beautiful landscape and dynamic geology of the Bay Area."—Mel Erskine, geological consultant

"This accessible summary of San Francisco Bay Area geology is particularly timely. We are living in an age where we must deal with our impact on our environment and the impact of the environment on us. Earthquake hazards, and to a lesser extent landslide hazards, are well known, but the public also needs to be aware of other important engineering and environmental impacts and geologic resources. This book will allow Bay Area residents to make more intelligent decisions about the geological issues affecting their lives."—John Wakabayashi, geological consultant

Distinguished Book Award, Berkeley Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication